XMaverick, if you have a run-of-the-mill Garand, and want to take it hunting, and it's legal in your area, then do it. That would be a great thing to do. Just get some hunting ammo and sight it in.
First, though, find out what you have. Find out for sure. If you have a rare Garand that never saw duty, you might just want to insure the hell out of it and put it in a safe.

I do not mean this as an insult we all started somewhere, the questions you are asking are self evident that you are not ready to hunt with a Garand.

Any modern commercial bolt action rifle (in good condition) in 270win/30.06 with 3x9 scope would be a better hunting rifle for someone that has not been indoctrinated on the care, feeding and love of John C Garand's baby

Great questions! I am glad you are asking them here.

Take a hunter safety class if you have not already. Find someone or a gun range were you can get some hands on training, Both in weapons handling but just as importantly gain an understanding of what a high power rifle cartridge can do and what it can not.

Nothing will make you sicker than to come across a live deer with it's jaw shot off. Shot placement is everything. Therefore use the tool (rifle & scope) that will help you do this. You the hunter owe it to the game.

Join Date: September 24, 2010
Posts: 12 I too do not think a semi-automatic rifle has any place in hunting.

The Fudd is strong in this one, too!

I tell you what: You hunt with what you want, and let everybody else hunt with what they want, so long as it does not violate any game laws.
Welcome to the forum, Hunterguy.

An M-1 stoked with 150 to 168 gr soft-pointed bullets loaded to 2600 f/sec would be more than adequate for deer. The existing iron sights should be more than adequate. Practice until you can hit a paper plate consistently- the farthest distance you can hit that plate is the farthest you should be shooting at a deer.

As for a 10 lb. rifle being too heavy to carry to a deer stand: Ruck up you wussies! 65 years ago, 1/2 million men had just traipsed from England to the Oder carrying those rifles, along with a basic load of 80 rounds of ammo and 30+ lbs of other stuff....

__________________
TheGolden Rule of Tool Use: "If you don't know what you are doing, DON'T."

Check the California hunting regulations. A simple email to Fish & Game ought answer your question. While I do not believe California has a restriction on the number of cartriges in the magazine of a semiauto hunting rifle, California does have the ten round maximum magazine law on the books. So I would think 8 rounds in the Garand clip ought be OK, but check with Fish & Game.

__________________Hook686

When the number of people in institutions reaches 51%, we change sides.

Your Garand is legal, Your 8 round enbloc clip is legal, you must take the hunter safety course which is about $41. You have to apply for the area you want to hunt and they hold a drawing to restrict the number of hunters in any one area at a time. If you are going to be hunting in a Condor area you have to use lead free ammo. Your season has already started so I think you missed the boat for this year except for small game and birds. A unmodified M1 will need low pressure ammo specifically for the M1. California specifically states you must use soft point expanding ammo so I am not sure the Amax will be legal for you because it is a fragmenting bullet not a expanding bullet. You want something like the Remington copper solid.

I'm using my M1 Garand myself this year just for old times sake, last time I hunted with it was in 1972 and I'm not sure how much longer I will be able to cart it around. I have 165 grain hand loads and the Hornady 168 gr commercial loads. Ordinarily I use a single shot rifle or a revolver but this year I just want to do something different. I'll probably use my hand loads because its a Remington Core Lokt bullet and I like it.

__________________
Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern will, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.
--Daniel Webster--

The thing is, a battle rifle requires a mit more durability than does a hunting rifle, and as a result, tends to be heavier. Hunting rifles don't need to be able to handle bayonets, and aren't expected to be used as impromptu clubs.

This is why most "sporterized" prior military rifles are shortened and lightened.

Since the OP is a new hunter, I'm assuming he may not be that outdoorsy, and may not understand how much walking with gear may be involved. He could be an IronMan competitor for all I know, but the bulk of the US populace wouldn't fit that description.

Once upon a time, I had to run 5 miles with an M1 at port arms as part of a graduation week. It's certainly manageable, and yes our WWII and Korea vets humped the things everywhere.

Practice until you can hit a paper plate consistently- the farthest distance you can hit that plate is the farthest you should be shooting at a deer.

A paper plate is a good size target for practice. Just keep in mind that deer aren't normally sporting bright-white aiming circles. Practice with a paper plate that's coffee stained or painted a shade of tan that's just darker or lighter than the background. In the early morning or near-sunset hours....

Quote:

Originally Posted by xMaverick

I have my garand but i have no blocs or any rounds.

If this is still the case shoot me a PM. I can set you up with a few en-bloc clips.

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Proud member of the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association. Registered and active voter.

I thought that might be the case -- or at least something like that. But you could get a spare cylinder lock screw (gas plug) from Brownells for $13 and drill a good-sized hole in the center. Then you could shoot any ammo you want.

Better yet buy a schuster adjustable gas plug and you can just back the adj. to make it a single shot.this has the added benafit of allowing you to tune it to modern hunting ammo and not bend the OP rod.

to those that say autoloaders have no place hunting.I watched a "former" hunting partner empty his bolt gun at a deer at 250 yards of course the last four were running shots at an ever increasing distance.as soon as it was empty he starts digging in his pocket to try a 600 yard running shot I guess.

Hunting ethics as does Safety in general has NOTHING to do with the firearm.

__________________
rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6

Quote:

originally posted my Mike Irwin
My handguns are are for one purpose only, though...
The starter gun on the "Fat man's mad dash tactical retreat."

then again the GI's weren't interested in eating them either. That being said I would rather carry my howa M1500 up and down the mountains of Idaho than my Yugo M59/66. Yes, I did that, and no, I didn't get anything. And with the kind of cover and ranges I hunt in I think I will stick to my .30-30 for a while now. It's easier to pack around in thick brush than the .308 Howa.

ETA: Meant to add: Maverick, make sure that whatever cover you hunt in is conducive to your choice of firearm. A marlin 336 can be had for 400-500 if you get gouged. If it's in Kali it might be higher (I got mine used for 330-350) and when comparing it side by side with a Garand I would pick the 336: No enblock clips so ammo can be loose or in a bandoleer; slimmer profile; shorter; lighter; almost looks better too. They both have wood so lookswise I can't pick between the two

One point I'd like to make regarding the weight of the Garand: All that weight, combined w/ the gas operated action, make the recoil of a 30-06 a non-issue. And carrying it around will tone up your upper body muscles, making recoil even more manageable.

__________________
TheGolden Rule of Tool Use: "If you don't know what you are doing, DON'T."

M1s have been used for hunting for years. IMHO (I own 4), I think that they are too heavy to lug around if you're stalking.

That said, for an ethical hunter, you'll want to use an expanding bullet on deer (I've recently developed a liking for Barnes TSX bullets for hunting applications). Also the propellant and load may be less than ideal for the M1's very specific pressure curve requirements. These requirements can be easily accomplished with a Schuster or McCann adjustable gas plug. Indeed, purchasing a two- or five-round sled clip for the M1 can limit your ammo to legal requirements for your chosen hunting area. If you attempt to use M2 ball equivalent (150gr FMJ), the bullets will not expand...if you attempt to use a standard hunting load, you may learn a new way to disassemble your Garand, one not recommended.

I might choose to use a 5-round sled with a good hunting load, setting the adjustable gas plug wide open to transform the M1 into a single shot, straight-pull bolt action were I to use one for hunting. For roughly $100, you can buy a forward scope base to replace the rear hand guard; this will allow the addition of a scout scope.

As to the poster who said he was going to use the Hornady 168 gr A-MAX bullet, please rethink that idea. The A-MAX is a match target bullet, not a hunting bullet. The Hornady line has wonderful hunting bullets (I've used GMXs)...take the approach I noted above. BTW, I love the A-Max 168gr bullet and use it in my match handloads. BTW, the weight and semi-auto action don't trouble me for hunting, but the required accuracy for the military was 3-4 MOA...mine are 2-3 MOA shooters with M2 Ball and 2 MOA shooters with Hornady match.

Apologies...I had only scanned the first page when I posted. Having re-read the entire thread, I was redundant.

I would observe, however, that you got very good advice to take a hunter safety training course. I would also suggest you become familiar and practice a good bit with the M1 Garand before using it for field use. Finally, I'm a big believer in appropriate and accurate shot placement. I would not regard "knocking the deer on its ass and breaking its spine" as a useful targeting approach.

Plenty of experienced hunters hunt with semis like the Remington 740/7400 and Browning BAR. Training and practice are more important than rifle action.

The worst encounter I had in the woods was a woman blasting away with her Win94 like it was a M60. And most of the stories I hear of hunters killing innocents or each other are one shot with a bolt action and scope. The bolt action did not transfer an ounce of common sense into them, nor have I seen a semi instill spray and pray in a hunter.

I personally prefer a bolt action but I can understand if another hunter prefers a semi, pump, lever or single shot.

__________________"The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone. ... The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition."

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